Case Number 15716

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (BLU-RAY)

The Charge

Together right to the very end.

Opening Statement

After being slow on the uptake, I've now completed my High School
Musical experience. We started with a charming update of Grease;
sweet and simple, the music and choreography resonated strongly with the Disney
Channel crowd who now had a musical to call their own. Little did anyone expect
it would become a worldwide phenomenon. Success begat High School Musical
2, a frustrating update of Dirty Dancing, whose plot, dialogue, and
performances almost sank the film's musical and visual assets. That didn't stop
kids from becoming rabid fans once again, but for anyone outside that buffer
zone the franchise had quickly become migraine inducing. Which brings us to the
inevitable release of High School Musical 3; two-hours of non-existent
plot, musical repetition, and the introduction of three new characters who are
sure to take the series into another three years of Disney revenue generation.
If there was ever a need for a mercy killing, now would be the time.

Facts of the Case

Two-thirds of the way through their senior year and tensions are running
high. Troy (Zac Efron), Chad (Corbin Bleu), and Zeke (Chris Warren Jr.) are on
the verge of losing the basketball championship. Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) has
been invited into Stanford's freshman honors program, but her acceptance will
mean missing out on the Spring Musical and possibly even prom. With a Julliard
scholarship on the line, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) is once again suffering
through second billing and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Ryan
(Lucas Grabeel) is discovering feelings for his creative partner Kelsi (Olesya
Rulin), while finally stepping out from behind his sister's enormous ego. Taylor
(Monique Coleman) has a yearbook to produce, and a boyfriend to manipulate. Oh,
and there are three sophomores shadowing them all, learning the ropes from East
High's student body elite.

The Evidence

Conceived, designed, and shot for theatrical release, High School Musical
3: Senior Year is certainly bigger in look and feel, but that means nothing
if your characters remain small. With no other musical inspiration to draw from
-- save for A Chorus Line moment in Act Two and a Royal Wedding
homage in Act Four -- screenwriter Peter Barsocchini and director Kenny Ortega
have run out of gas. Like many TV series reunion movies, they try to give fans
more of what they love, but forget about story in the process.

This script is a bloated narrative mess, devoid of a compelling through
line, save for graduation and the emotional impact of transitioning from kids to
adults. The result is a series of disconnected moments in which characters worry
about where their life is going and if they'll ever see each other again. But
that kind of emotional masturbation is not nearly enough to sustain two hours.
In fact, after a while, they start cannibalizing themselves. The drama of
Vanessa leaving Troy to be true to herself is the same conflict they had in the
last film, complete with yet another angry-musical-existential-youth-crisis for
him ("Scream"), and a weepy-self-realization number for her
("Walk Away").

That's not to say the film is completely bereft of inventiveness. The music
and choreography remain the series saving grace. Using the Spring Musical as a
way to share their high school experience gives Ortega and company an
opportunity to play with non-linear convention. Ryan and Sharpay get the biggest
and best musical set piece in "I Want it All," which could be
interpreted as either a dream sequence or the play's showstopping number. The
same holds true for the two prom numbers -- "A Night to Remember" and
"Can I Have This Dance" -- the first being a comedic look at
preparations for the big night, and the second a romantic fantasy waltz on the
dance floor.

On the flipside, "The Boys are Back" is a good 10-15 minutes that
could have been left on the cutting room floor. This Michael Jackson inspired
interlude, giving Troy and Chad one last chance to relive favorite childhood
memories, is painfully out of place. Storywise, I understand what they were
going for, but the whole Thriller/Bad vibe is about 20 years past its expiration
date. In fact, the entire concept of Troy and his derelict pickup truck is ill
conceived. Sure, it gets them to the junkyard for this number, but at what point
in these three films did we come to learn that Troy was gearhead? And are we
really expected to believe a truck that can't make it from home to school and
back without breaking down is going to survive at 2,000 mile round trip
excursion from Albequerque to Stanford? Please.

Okay, I may be taking this cast and crew a little too much to task. After
all, this is Disney family entertainment. But if you're going to make a good
filmgoing experience, do it across the board and play up to the strengths of
everyone involved. You have talented cast on hand. These kids have grown and
matured over the past three years, learning from each other and the business,
and it shows. Zac, despite looking tired and disconnected, is able to turn it on
during the musical numbers, and even manages to stick an authentic moment with
Alyson Reed (Mrs. Darbus) near the end. Vanessa maintains that adorable font of
endless sweetness and smiles, while, Corbin, Monique, and Lucas are patiently
waiting to step into roles much bigger than these characters. I hope this
business affords them all an opportunity to challenge casting directors and grow
beyond the dreaded teen idol limitations. My biggest concern is for Ashley. She
has great comedic timing, but signing on for a fourth film puts her at risk at
becoming the Screech of this franchise, and dooming her to a life in Disney
Channel hell. She's better than that.

Presented in 1.85:1 1080p widescreen, High School Musical 3 is far
from the most impressive Blu-ray on the Disney slate. There's a definite
brightening of the image, making the DVD presentation seem dingy by comparison.
It's not the eye-popping difference you'll see in films like the Pirates of
the Caribbean trilogy, but the distinction is noticeable. The audio is
really where you feel the difference. There's no comparison between the
enveloping DTS-HD track and the requisite Dolby 5.1 mix. Sound continues to be
the biggest asset of the Blu-ray format, creating that theatrical experience in
your home, without having to shell out thousands of dollars for a top-line home
theatre system.

This is a three-disc set, so you would expect a wealth of bonus materials,
right? Nope. Disc Two is a copy of the Extended Edition on standard DVD, and
Disc Three is your digital copy. Color me ignorant, but I still fail to see the
need of carrying a DVD library around on your iPod or laptop, that is unless
you're traveling to Europe and the Pacific Rim several times each month.

Of the bonus features we do receive...

Sing-Along -- Follow the bouncing basketball as you karaoke with
every single musical number from the film.

Deleted Scenes -- Kenny Ortega intros this 8 scene collection by
saying he wishes the final cut was three hours (ugh...) and how emotionally
attached he was to some of the cuts. However, almost all of these are brief
transitional moments with no real character development. There is one that
explains the setup for the early morning tea pot scene between Kelsi and Ryan,
but that's about it.

Out of Synch (3 min) -- Bloopers from the set, which aren't all that
funny or insightful.

Cast Goodbyes (6 min) -- The cast share their final, emotional
thoughts on the journey of the past three years.

It's All in the Dress (3 min) -- A look at the design of Gabriella,
Sharpay, Taylor, and Kelsi's dresses for the prom.

New Cast Profiles (14 min) -- Interviews with and video diaries by
the three newest Wildcats and the future of the franchise -- Jemma
McKenzie-Brown (Tiara), Matt Prokop (Rocket Man), and Justin Martin (Donny).

Night of Nights (8 min) -- The design and execution of the film's two
contrasting prom sequences.

Senior Awards (2 min) -- As production winds down, the cast and crew
vote on East High's Best Hair, Most Dependable, Best Couple, and more.

As you explore the BD Yearbook, you'll encounter wildcat paws on various
images. These easter eggs will pull up additional behind the scenes vignettes.
There's a lot of redundancy in the design, so be prepared to get frustrated.

BD-Live functionality is not available until street date, so I can only list
what is supposed to be included:

My Pages -- Allows you the opportunity to embed your own photos in
the yearbook.

Closing Statement

I've been a musical theatre kid since birth, so I get the appeal and the buzz
derived from these films. I only wish the producers would take time to develop
solid stories upon which to place their great music and inspired choreography.
History is littered with musicals that failed miserably, and while High
School Musical isn't likely to meet that fate, it never truly lived up to
its potential. Most people could care less and write this all off as cheap
Disney entertainment. For me, it's a disappointment.